MY MOM, THE STRANGER

*Scene: That Night*

After dinner, the house was silent. Scouty had gone to bed early, tired from her long flight. Bella sat alone in the living room, staring at her untouched tea.

Her mother was home, but something felt... off.

She was different—smiling too much, avoiding eye contact when Bella asked questions, and her phone kept buzzing with messages she never opened near her.

Bella’s thoughts raced.

*Bella (thinking):* *Why won’t she tell me what her business is about? Why does she always change the topic?*

Her eyes shifted toward Scouty’s room. The door was slightly open, a dim light flickering from within. Curiosity pulled her like a string.

She tiptoed closer.

From inside, she heard her mother’s voice—low and sharp, like she was on a call.

*Scouty (whispering):* “No, she doesn't know anything yet. I’ll handle it. Don’t call again unless it’s urgent.”

Bella froze.

Her heart pounded in her chest. *“She’s hiding something... from me.”*

she back off like nothing happened

In the shadows of her own home, Bella felt something she hadn’t felt in years—*fear... and betrayal.

*Scene: Midnight Secrets*

The house was silent. The only sound was the ticking of the old wall clock. Bella couldn't sleep. Her mind replayed her mother’s strange words on the phone.

*"She doesn't know anything yet..."*

She sat up, then quietly walked toward her mother’s room again. This time, she pressed her ear to the door.

Inside, Scouty's voice was low, firm, and cold.

*Scouty (on the phone):*

"Yes, I arrived safely... No, she suspects nothing. But I need more time. The shipment was delayed. If *he* finds out, we’re all dead."

Bella's breath caught in her throat.

Who was "he"?

What shipment?

What was her mother involved in?

She peeked through the door crack. Her mother stood by the window, dressed in all black, a small pistol tucked in the drawer beside her.

*Scouty:*

“I’m not just his assistant anymore. I’m the one keeping everything from falling apart… You tell Rafael that.”

Bella’s hands trembled.

*Rafael*—a name she’d heard before, whispered on news channels… connected to underground dealings, missing people, blood-stained wealth.

*Scene: The Weight of Truth*

Bella slowly backed away from the door, careful not to make a sound. Her pulse was racing, her mind spiraling.

*Rafael.*

*Shipment.*

*Pistol.*

This wasn’t just a lie.

It was a life her mother built *in blood and silence*.

She locked herself in her room, clutching her knees to her chest. The same woman who kissed her forehead, who told her bedtime stories, who called her “my angel”—was now the same woman hiding guns and whispering to criminals.

*Bella (whispers):* “Why didn’t you tell me, Mamma?”

The next morning, Scouty acted as if nothing happened—smiling, serving her tea, asking about her sleep.

Bella smiled back.

But inside, something had cracked.

She wasn’t sure who her mother was anymore.

And worse—she wasn’t sure *what that made her.*

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